AUGUST 29, 2005

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Love Tuna? Love Sales? (or "sails"....)

Well...combine both of them and try Zingerman's sale on Ortiz Tuna....(from their sale notification e-mail...)

The Family Firm Ortiz has been tinning fish is the Basque region of northern Spain for five generations. They buy day boat catches from small time fishermen in the Bay of Biscay.

On boats not much bigger than a cabin cruiser, fishing is done "the old fashioned way": with a pole, line and hook, not giant trawling lines or nets. The boat pulls up along side a school of tuna and cuts the engines. Small jets from the side of the boat spray water. They churn up the surface. The tuna get the impression small fish are freaking out and it's time to eat. The fishermen--maybe ten or fifteen guys--strap themselves to the side of the boat. (So they don't fall in.)

The fish wait in tanks on board before the reach the docks. Ortiz buyers select the best of the catch, personally. They often pay premiums for the highest quality fish.

The fish are delivered to Ortiz that afternoon. They're boiled whole in brine, then cut and cleaned by hand.

The tuna is covered in olive oil and sealed. Each tin or jar is packed by hand. (If you haven't noticed, there haven't been a lot of machines mentioned.) In a matter of hours the tuna has gone from sea to tin - an amazing, delicious feat.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Flickr Foto Friday

Thursday, August 14, 2008

So...Long

Longs Drugs.

The Longs era is over.

The sale of Longs Drugs Stores Corp., the 70-year-old chain based in Walnut Creek, to the East Coast's giant CVS Caremark Corp., spells the end for the last major regional chain drugstore in the country. After the transaction closes at the end of the year, CVS will slowly start converting the stores, and the Longs name will fade into retail history. - SFGate

We'll see if they close the Longs Drugs in downtown Santa Barbara, as it takes up a good amount of space in the ever increasingly unaffordable drag strip known as State Street.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Julia Child...Chef, local personality, cookbook author....

Famed chef Julia Child shared a secret with Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg at a time when the Nazis threatened the world.

They served in an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt.

The secret comes out Thursday, all of the names and previously classified files identifying nearly 24,000 spies who formed the first centralized intelligence effort by the United States. The National Archives, which this week released a list of the names found in the records, will make available for the first time all 750,000 pages identifying the vast spy network of military and civilian operatives. - AssPress

But we've known for quite some time that Julia was cooking up some intriguing recipes of intrigue.......

Decades before becoming a famous chef, she worked for the Office of Strategic Services. (The OSS was the predecessor to the CIA.) She was assigned to solve a problem for U.S. naval forces during World War II: Sharks would bump into explosives that were placed underwater, setting them off and warning the German U-boats they were intended to sink. "So... Julia Child and a few of her male compatriots got together and literally cooked up a shark repellent," that was used to coat the explosives, McCarthy says. - NPR (2002)

It would be impossible to present all of Julia Child's contributions to cooking in America in this small space. She transformed our appreciation for French cooking, pioneered cooking on television, and made all of us better cooks and/or better eaters. To celebrate some of the best of Julia, the hardcover edition of the memoir she wrote with her grandnephew, My Life in France, is $7.99 through August 31st. Thank you, Julia!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Another State Street Business Bites the Dust

and another one being born from its dust.Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's branch next to the Granada (1226 State Street) has come to a "grinding" halt. Paper is now lining it's windows...it's waving goodbye. There are still other branches of the coffee giant operational....What used to be Gisella's Trattoria (and for us really old timers....the old Paul Bhalas)looks like it might, eventually, open as a restaurant named Jane (run by the Montecito Cafe folks....)

Saturday, August 09, 2008

McConnell'ss Cow

I have fond memories of this creature of many guises. It is the McConnell's Ice Cream cow that sits atop the old McConnell's building on the corner of Milpas (thanks, Patrick..yes...long time since high school) and Canon Perdido.

Part fiberglass...part years of paint buildup, it is a local icon. Scads of students from Santa Barbara High have done their part giving the cow a brand new "paint job." I remember being part of the theatre department and it was the custom to give the cow a new paint job right before a major production for luck. During those years, it was also a tradition for the water polo team to paint the cow before a major game. Battling paint jobs. You never really knew what color the cow was going to be from day to day. The cow disappeared for a few years...but she's back...and being subjected to new paint and disguise, still.

McConnell's Ice Cream, itself, has been a Santa Barbara staple since 1949. It was recently highlighted by Forbes Traveler as one of the best ice creams in the country. Have an ice cream flavor suggestion? McConnell's wants to know! I might mention, you can win a pint a week for a year if they pick your suggestion!

Friday, August 08, 2008

Flickr Foto Friday

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Wine and Abalone!

Well....I love the wine, especially Jaffur's Syrah, but I've never been an abalone fan, although I love the shells (can you say terrific soap dish.) However, this seems like quite an interesting adventure...supporting local businesses and food purveyors.

Sunday, August 17 Jaffurs will be joining the American Institute of Wine and Food for the fourth annual Tour and Tasting at The Cultured Abalone farm in Goleta. This is the 4th Annual AIWF Tour and Tasting at The Cultured Abalone farm in Goleta. Ben Beede will reveal the fascinating methods that are brought to bear in this on shore seafarm. You will learn how abalone are bred, grown and processed. Ben always has new mariculture experiments that he will share as well. Chef Michael Hutchings of Michael's Catering will conduct a practical cooking demonstration of abalone preparation. This is followed by a three course luncheon featuring the delightful mollusk as the maincourse. Jaffurs wines will be featured for lunch and will pour white wines matched to the abalone. Jaffurs Wine Cellars is dedicated to producing great Rhone varietal wines with a new-world independence. What: Abalone farm tour, cooking demonstration and luncheon.Where: The Cultured Abalone, 9580 Dos Pueblos Cyn Road, Goleta, CAWhen: Sunday, August 17 at 11:00 AM, concludes 2:00 PMPrice: Members of AIWF $65.00, Guests $70.00

Good information: Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking on uneven surfaces. It can be warm and a hat is suggested. We will havewater available for the tour. Parking is limited so car pooling is suggested. Abalone will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the event. Space is limited so please reserve early.Reservations call: Patty Jacquemin 805-565-3013

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Two Buck Chuck (Starbucks version)

Starbucks "Happy Hours" in the afternoons (but only if you've visited them in the morning....)

Looking to bring more value-seeking consumers through its doors for a late afternoon caffeine fix, Starbucks Corp. said it will now offer its morning customers any iced grande beverage for $2 after 2 p.m.

The price is a big cut from the normal price of most grande-sized iced drinks. A grande iced latte, for example, costs about $4. To get the discount, customers must present a receipt from their morning Starbucks visit.

The promotion was previously only offered in Seattle, Chicago and Miami. The company said it is taking it nationwide beginning Tuesday to answer consumers' calls for more value at the chain, which has seen traffic drop as gas prices rise and consumer spending falters. It runs until Sept. 2. - Associated Press

Friday, August 01, 2008

VIVA LA FIESTA!

It's Fiesta (Old Spanish Days) time here in Adobe Disneyland! It all begain in the 20's...and in 1935, the Gumm Sisters starred in a little short Oscar Winning film highlighting our little festival, La Fiesta de Santa Barbara.

I love going down to "El Mercado" and picking up a fish taco (or two) and a couple of churros.The delights: The dancing people (flamenco and folklorico), the dancing horses, palominos galore, the colors, the smells, the music. The hellishness: Los borrachos, crowds, trash, tourista drivers.

But...it has always been a love-hate relationship with Fiesta and Santa Barbarians. After running away after all these years, like Craig Smith, Esq., I'm staying this time around and enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes.Viva La!